World Behind my Wall
by Chasyn
Summary: He loved the wall. It kept his brother safe and until his brother came of age, it kept him safe. He wasn't jealous of his younger brother, not in the least. He understood both of their roles in their society. Both their places and how they fit in. It was why they were born. He made his peace with it. And then... a weird man came over the wall. (Weird AU, Zach/Owen thing.)


**Summary** : He loved the wall. It kept his people safe, his family safe, his brother safe. And until his brother came of age, it kept him safe. He wasn't jealous of his younger brother, not in the least. He understood both of their roles in their society. Both their places and how they fit in. It was why they were born. And he was okay with it. He made his peace with it. And then... a weird man came over the wall.

 **Notes** : Very weird, very alternate universe, very made up and makes no sense. I started this back in December of 2016. So I finally decided to work on it more.

 **World Behind my Wall**

 _It stood over 20 feet tall, towering well over everything in the world. It ran a circle around the whole world. Their whole world. It kept them safe from the night monsters. Horrible beasts they could sometimes hear from the safety behind their wall. It kept the monsters out. It also kept them in. None of them ventured out. Not since the wall was first built many generations ago. No one was left alive that had been outside it's boarders. They grew and raised their food within the walls. They had a lake supplied by an underground series of rivers. They didn't need anything. They didn't want anything. They were a content and happy people, living their sheltered and safe lives. They didn't know any different._

He loved the wall. It kept his people safe, his family safe, his brother safe. And until his brother came of age, it kept him safe. He wasn't jealous of his younger brother, not in the least. He understood both of their roles in their society. Both their places and how they fit in. It was why they were born. And he was okay with it. He made his peace with it.

The sky was darkening and rain had started to fall. Just light little drops. No cause for concern or reason to run inside. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He liked the smell of rain. He liked the feet of it touching his hair and running down his skin. He laid down on the grass and stared up at the sky. His mouth twisted into a wide smile. He took a deep breath and breathed it out long and slow. He spent most of his life out in his little backyard, with the wall. His wall. Well... his section of the wall. His house was one of the largest and situated in a corner. He liked his corner. The wall sheltered him on two sides. He closed his eyes again for a moment, relishing in the feel of the grass beneath him and the light raindrops that splashed his face.

The rain petered off and when he opened his eyes, it was even darker. Closing in on midnight, he guessed. He should have been asleep, he knew. Tomorrow was to be a busy day. The teachings would be starting for his brother. And it would be his job to escort his brother. But still, he remained outside. He was in no hurry to sleep. These moments at night were among his favorites.

He stood up suddenly and walked towards the cornered wall. His steps were small as he approached and he didn't stop until he couch reach out and touch the stone surface. It was cold and wet and chipped a bit in a few places. But it was solid and strong. It would stand for generations more. And he smiled again as he thought about that, as he thought about all the people that would live here once he was gone. And he looked up at the top, where the wall met the sky. It was pretty much what he did with his free time. Stare up at the wall. Something about it had always captivated him, since he was born. His parents would bring him into the back yard and let him wobble about. And he would always run to the wall and bang his tiny, chubby hands on it. To him, it was like greeting a best friend, as odd as it seemed. That was one of the first signs that he wasn't the One.

Honestly, he was glad he wasn't the One. He had no desire to be it. And he'd seen the pressure put on his younger brother since his birth. It was clear his brother was the One, that he was meant to be from the start. There was no bad blood between them for it. He was happy for his brother. His brother's life was set. And his life was set as well. He'd spend his last remaining days here, in his back yard, staring at the wall and the sky and he'd be happy for it. That was his life. That what he was there for.

And then something moved at the top. He stilled, sucking in sharply. It was just a moment, barely a breath. But something had blocked out his view of the stars for just a moment. He stepped back and watched the same spot. But nothing came. Then he pressed himself closer to the wall and craned his neck back. His eyes strained as they tried to focus. Still nothing. He stepped back again and shook his head.

Nothing. He'd seen nothing. Just a trick of his eyes or too many hours spent staring at the walls or... He paused and looked up at the top again. He stared at the spot, focused on it. And there was something there again. He tilted his head and squinted and thought... there was... a head! There was a head peaking over the edge. His eyes were very slowly adjusting to staring at the spot. And he could just make out... A man! Smiling down at him.

The man lifted his arm and waved.

He practically jumped back from the wall, alarmed. He wasn't exactly sure what to do. No one had come over the wall in... honestly... he didn't think anyone had ever come over the wall. There wasn't anyone to come over the wall. There was no way anyone would survive over the wall. He'd never seen the monsters, of course. Very, very few had. But he'd heard them. He heard the horrible noises. His whole life! Roars, shrieks, growling, scratching... The noises and the stories the elders told kept the fear alive even if the monsters haven't been seen.

The man at the top of the wall waved again.

He stepped back from the wall another step. He didn't know what to do. He glanced back at his house. The windows were all closed, the curtains drawn shut. It was just past midnight, he was near certain. His parents and his brother would be asleep. He didn't want to wake them. Not with tomorrow looming over all their heads. Not unless he was certain he needed to. That they were in danger. And he had no clue if the wall man was a threat or not. He turned back to the wall and glanced up. The head was gone. He stepped towards the wall and looked again. Had he imagined it? He breathed out. Of course he had imagined it. There was no way there were people outside the wall. There was no way anyone could survive.

"Hi."

He spun around quickly, nearly toppling over with his momentum. His eyes widened and he stumbled back, bumping into the wall. The wall man was here. The wall man was in his backyard, standing between him and his house. His eyes flitted to his house and then back to the man. There was no way he could get around him, no way to outrun him or beat him in a fight. He wasn't a fighter. He'd never been taught to fight. It wasn't his place to fight. And this man looked huge compared to him. Whoever he was, he was meant to fight. The man's arms were bare, his torso covered with some odd looking thin hide or cloth underneath some other odd looking harder material. It looked like scales, from a snake, but much larger. And tied to him like armor. His legs were covered in similar fashion. It was much different from the simple robes and tunics the people inside the wall wore. They had no need for much armor looking things.

The man was smiling. Widely. He lifted his arm and waved again. "Do you... understand?" The man asked.

He pressed himself harder against the wall, pressing his palms flat against it. It helped to ground him. He breathed out. He understood the man. Of course he understood. But how? How could he understand this weird, armored man from beyond the wall? Did that mean this man was from inside the wall after all? But he didn't recognize the man. And he knew every person in their world, at least in passing. He swallowed and nodded dumbly. He couldn't quite yet make his voice work. But he could at least nod his head.

The man's smile seemed to only get bigger. "I thought you should. I've been watching you... I've heard you speak before."

He blinked. The man watched him? The man heard him speak? When? How? Now he had wished he'd called for his parents and brother. If his brother sounded his alarm, half the world would be there to save him and someone who was trained to fight could face this armored man.

The man's eyes widened and he stepped back. He lifted his hands slowly and shook his head. "I mean no harm." He said slowly. "We've seen this... wall, you called it? We've been following the wall for weeks, trying to find a way around in. One night... I heard... singing. I climbed the wall and saw you..."

"You climbed the wall?" He interrupted, his eyes still wide.

The man smiled again and nodded. "I did."

He pushed away from the wall and took a few steps away, his eyes on the man as he moved. "You... you came..." He pointed at the wall. "From the other side?" He asked softly.

The man nodded his head. "Yes."

"You... you live... outside the wall..." It was an idea beyond his comprehension. He just couldn't understand how someone could live outside of the wall. He'd heard the noises!

The man nodded again. "I do." He said like it wasn't a big deal. "We live far away and heard tales of the odd barrier... wall. We wanted to see."

"We?" He asked, tilting his head a bit.

"My family." The man answered.

He looked at the wall and swallowed. "Your family lives outside the wall... with the monsters..." His voice was barely a whisper. How could a family live outside the wall?

The man tilted his head. "Monsters?"

He swallowed again and nodded. "We hear them at night... they scratch at the wall... and make horrible noises... but the wall keeps us safe. They can't get in."

The man nodded slowly. "My name is Owen." The man offered.

He glanced at the man, still no idea what to make of him. Still no clue on if he should alert the world. He looked at the wall again. He just couldn't fathom anyone, let alone a family, living outside the wall.

"Do you have a name?" The man called Owen asked

"Zach." He answered softly without thinking. "My name is Zach..." A loud roar erupted from the other side of the wall. Zach immediately shrank back from it.

Owen held up his hands. "It's okay." He said softly. "You're safe. She can't get in."

Zach glanced at Owen, his eyes wide. "She?" The way the man said it sent panic through him. Zach glanced back at his house. His breathing quickened and he was seconds from shouting. He should have woken his family up. He should have ran right in there and sounded his brother's alarm himself. He needed to get away from this man and from whatever he meant when he said she. He turned back and the man was suddenly gone. He blinked for a moment, staring at the spot where Owen had been standing. He spun around, searching his whole yard. But there was no sign of Owen. He looked back up at the top of the wall. Nothing. He breathed out slowly and for a moment, wondered if he somehow managed to imagine the whole thing. Maybe he spent too much time outside staring at the wall.

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. There was no way someone could live outside the wall. Was there? Zach swallowed and turned and ran inside.

 **-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

 **Author's Notes:** Very base idea and title from the song by Tokio Hotel. As in, the base idea was Zach staring at a huge wall.


End file.
